What really struck me when I joined the Dubai team in 2005 was the fact that diversity is really seen as a veritable asset. It’s not just a question of equal opportunities. You meet people from different countries, men and women from different horizons with different backgrounds plus there is a very open-minded attitude to the various possible approaches to the job.  I had my own working methods, my own way of creating a business plan and I don’t speak French.

Nobody forced me to conform; in fact it was an opportunity for the team to weigh up the pros and cons of the various approaches to find the best way to develop the business. This diversity is framed by the rules and procedures of the Group but it is a source of dynamism. Irrespective of your profile, if you are competent and want to get on, the Group encourages you. In my case, after having been Product Manager for 4 years, I was appointed Marketing Director of this entity which is responsible for marketing Group products in the Near and Middle East.

The “Developing our talents” seminar I attended at the Groupe SEB University, when I was Accounts Manager of the Group’s Brazilian subsidiary Arno, was a turning point for me in several ways.  First of all, it taught me how the Group functions as a whole. We studied all the key processes behind the core functions - finance, marketing, industry, human resources, etc. - both theoretically with lecturers from Lyon Business School and from a practical point of view with contributions from top management.  It was also very edifying to exchange points of view with colleagues from different departments and countries. Finally, it provided me with an opening for an international promotion.  During the training, human resources offered me the job of Consolidation Accountant at the Finance Division. I jumped at the chance to move up professionally, work at headquarters and live in a new country.

After two months of intensive French lessons, I started my new job at the beginning of 2009 and I’m certainly glad I did.

I began my career with Groupe SEB in Moscow as a Personal Assistant then as the subsidiary’s Human Resources Manager. In 1999, I joined the Group’s Information Systems department in Ecully. As a Functional Expert, I manage IT projects and participate in the roll-out of new tools. After working in the field of human resources, I devote my time today to Intranet portals and collaborative services. I act as the interface between technical experts who develop IT solutions and the departments or professionals who use them in order to translate their needs into precise specifications. This calls for a great deal of discussions and I really enjoy this mix between the technical and interpersonal. Once the applications have been developed, I also assist in user training, support and maintenance.

There is no routine with us: a project lasts from 1 to 2 years at most and the technology and tools are constantly evolving. I enjoy the independence I have to manage projects, while benefiting from a shared work methodology and support from the management. Not to mention individual respect, which takes the form of real diversity within teams, among other things.

I participated in a one-week Groupe SEB University training seminar for young managers in the fall of 2009 in Lyon. There were about thirty of us from different branches, countries and professions, learning how to consolidate our management skills. As I was a recent recruit to the Group – June 2007 – and am based a long way from headquarters at the Hong Kong subsidiary where I am in charge of finances and IT, this training provided an ideal opportunity to widen my network of contacts. Another interesting aspect was the possibility to analyze my working methods with relation to the Group’s strategy. I was able to apply the lessons I learned as soon as I got back to the office. I discovered there were a set of reference values, shared by everyone, not just in terms of economic strategy – the ability to reconcile long-term vision and short-term management considerations – but also human values and management techniques.

The fact that we were able to have open discussions with members of the Executive Committee and the participation of top quality external lecturers helped make this seminar a resounding success.

I have attended several Groupe SEB University seminars over the past few years, on subjects such as marketing, product development and the innovation process. And every time, it taught me a lot and boosted my motivation. They are applied training courses which are clearly targeted to help you learn new skills and improve your performance. But they also make a welcome break from everyday work; exchanging opinions with people from different horizons and with different outlooks enables you take a fresh look at how you function. The Innovation Days I attended in 2009, for example, brought together people from research, development, marketing and design from the various Group business units. This hands-on training was very stimulating for everyone; there was a mini conference and we did creative team work – commando style!  It was both businesslike and great fun and we brainstormed many ideas for new products.

Events like these help you share a culture, an identity, and the core values of the Group by meeting top and middle management in the context of product development and innovation.